Pharmacological treatment of focal epilepsy in adults: an evidence based approach

Current challenges in focal epilepsy treatment: An Italian Delphi consensus

BACKGROUND

Epilepsy, a globally prevalent neurological condition, presents distinct challenges in management, particularly for focal-onset types. This study aimed at addressing the current challenges and perspectives in focal epilepsy management, with focus on the Italian reality.

METHODS

Using the Delphi methodology, this research collected and analyzed the level of consensus of a panel of Italian epilepsy experts on key aspects of focal epilepsy care. Areas of focus included patient flow, treatment pathways, controlled versus uncontrolled epilepsy, follow-up protocols, and the relevance of patient-reported outcomes (PROs). This method allowed for a comprehensive assessment of consensus and divergences in clinical opinions and practices.

RESULTS

The study achieved consensus on 23 out of 26 statements, with three items failing to reach a consensus. There was strong agreement on the importance of timely intervention, individualized treatment plans, regular follow-ups at Epilepsy Centers, and the role of PROs in clinical practice. In cases of uncontrolled focal epilepsy, there was a clear inclination to pursue alternative treatment options following the failure of two previous therapies. Divergent views were evident on the inclusion of epilepsy surgery in treatment for uncontrolled epilepsy and the routine necessity of EEG evaluations in follow-ups. Other key findings included concerns about the lack of pediatric-specific research limiting current therapeutic options in this patient population, insufficient attention to the transition from pediatric to adult care, and need for improved communication. The results highlighted the complexities in managing epilepsy, with broad consensus on patient care aspects, yet notable divergences in specific treatment and management approaches.

CONCLUSION

The study offered valuable insights into the current state and complexities of managing focal-onset epilepsy. It highlighted many deficiencies in the therapeutic pathway of focal-onset epilepsy in the Italian reality, while it also underscored the importance of patient-centric care, the necessity of early and appropriate intervention, and individualized treatment approaches. The findings also called for continued research, policy development, and healthcare system improvements to enhance epilepsy management, highlighting the ongoing need for tailored healthcare solutions in this evolving field.

Construction and validation of an algorithm to separate focal and generalised epilepsy using clinical variables: A comparison of machine learning approaches

PURPOSE

Epilepsy type, whether focal or generalised, is important in deciding anti-seizure medication (ASM). In resource-limited settings, investigations are usually not available, so a clinical separation is required. We used a naïve Bayes approach to devise an algorithm to do this, and compared its accuracy with algorithms devised by five other machine learning methods.

METHODS

We used data on 28 clinical variables from 503 patients attending an epilepsy clinic in India with defined epilepsy type, as determined by an epileptologist with access to clinical, imaging, and EEG data. We adopted a machine learning approach to select the most relevant variables based on mutual information, to train the model on part of the data, and then to evaluate it on the remaining data (testing set). We used a naïve Bayes approach and compared the results in the testing set with those obtained by several other machine learning algorithms by measuring sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, area under the curve, and Cohen's kappa.

RESULTS

The six machine learning methods produced broadly similar results. The best naïve Bayes algorithm contained eleven variables, and its accuracy was 92.2% in determining epilepsy type (sensitivity 92.0%, specificity 92.7%). An algorithm incorporating the best eight of these variables was only slightly less accurate - 91.0% (sensitivity 89.6%, and specificity 95.1%) - and easier for clinicians to use.

CONCLUSION

A clinical algorithm with eight variables is effective and accurate at separating focal from generalised epilepsy. It should be useful in resource-limited settings, by epilepsy-inexperienced doctors, to help determine epilepsy type and therefore optimal ASMs for individual patients, without the need for EEG or neuroimaging.

Phytotherapeutic options for the treatment of epilepsy: pharmacology, targets, and mechanism of action

Epilepsy is one of the most common, severe, chronic, potentially life-shortening neurological disorders, characterized by a persisting predisposition to generate seizures. It affects more than 60 million individuals globally, which is one of the major burdens in seizure-related mortality, comorbidities, disabilities, and cost. Different treatment options have been used for the management of epilepsy. More than 30 drugs have been approved by the US FDA against epilepsy. However, one-quarter of epileptic individuals still show resistance to the current medications. About 90% of individuals in low and middle-income countries do not have access to the current medication. In these countries, plant extracts have been used to treat various diseases, including epilepsy. These medicinal plants have high therapeutic value and contain valuable phytochemicals with diverse biomedical applications. Epilepsy is a multifactorial disease, and therefore, multitarget approaches such as plant extracts or extracted phytochemicals are needed, which can target multiple pathways. Numerous plant extracts and phytochemicals have been shown to treat epilepsy in various animal models by targeting various receptors, enzymes, and metabolic pathways. These extracts and phytochemicals could be used for the treatment of epilepsy in humans in the future; however, further research is needed to study the exact mechanism of action, toxicity, and dosage to reduce their side effects. In this narrative review, we comprehensively summarized the extracts of various plant species and purified phytochemicals isolated from plants, their targets and mechanism of action, and dosage used in various animal models against epilepsy.

The effect of cannabidiol on seizure features and quality of life in drug-resistant frontal lobe epilepsy patients: a triple-blind controlled trial

Background

Treatment-resistant epileptic seizures are associated with reduced quality of life (QoL). As polypharmacy with routine antiseizure medications has many side effects, novel add-on treatments are necessary. Recent research showed the efficacy of add-on therapy by cannabidiol (CBD) on refractory epilepsy. We attempted to extend data on the efficacy and safety profile of CBD in patients with frontal lobe treatment-resistant epilepsy.

Methods

A total of 27 patients were recruited into two CBD (n = 12) and placebo (n = 15) groups. The CBD group received a highly purified liposomal preparation of the drug in addition to routine antiseizure medications. The placebo group only received antiseizure medications. This experiment followed a triple-blinding protocol. Outcome measures were seizure frequency, the Chalfont seizure severity scale (CSSS), and the quality of life questionnaire score (QOLIE-31) assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks.

Results

At 4 weeks, results indicated that a higher fraction of patients in the CBD group (66.67%) showed improvement in seizure, compared to the placebo group (20.00%). Before-after comparison revealed that CBD, unlike routine ADEs, was effective in reducing the occurrence of seizures at the study's final timepoint [mean difference 45.58, 95% CI (8.987 to 82.18), p = 0.009]. Seizure severity was not affected by study groups or time intervals (repeated-measures ANOVA p > 0.05). Post-hoc tests found that the QoLI-31 score was improved at 8 weeks compared to baseline [mean diff. -5.031, 95% CI (-9.729 to -0.3328), p = 0.032]. The difference in cases who experienced enhanced QoL was meaningful between the CBD and placebo groups at 8 weeks [RR: 2.160, 95% CI (1.148 to 4.741), p = 0.018] but not at 4 weeks (p = 0.653). A positive finding for QoL improvement was associated with a positive finding for seizure frequency reduction [r = 0.638, 95% CI (0.296 to 0.835), p = 0.001]. Interestingly, limiting the correlation analysis to cases receiving CBD indicated that QoL improvement was not linked with seizure parameters such as severity and frequency (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

The present study suggests the benefit of a purified and highly efficient preparation of CBD for seizure frequency reduction and improvement of QoL in refractory frontal lobe epilepsy. Further study with longer follow-ups and larger sample size is advised.

Clinical trial registration

https://www.irct.ir/trial/56790, identifier: IRCT20210608051515N1.

A 5-Year Study of Antiseizure Medications (ASMs) Monitoring in Patients with Neuropsychiatric Disorders in an Italian Clinical Center

Despite receiving appropriate antiseizure medications (ASMs), a relevant percentage of neuropsychiatric patients do not benefit from this approach, and one reason is subtherapeutic ASMs plasma concentration (C(p)) due to improper drug adherence, interindividual pharmacokinetic differences, or metabolic interactions among different drugs. For these reasons, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) by measuring ASMs C(p) is an effective tool that improves pharmacological therapies in clinical practice. Based on these premises, in the present real-world study, we analyzed the C(p) of the most used ASMs in diverse medical conditions, which were assayed during the years 2018-2022 at the University Hospital of Pisa, including about 24,000 samples. This population was largely heterogeneous, and our database did not contain clinical information about the patients. The most used ASMs were Valproate (VPA: 54.5%) and Levetiracetam (LEV: 18.6%), followed by Oxcarbazepine (OxCBZ: 8.3%) and Carbamazepine (CBZ: 7.2%), whereas the associations LEV/VPA, Ethosuximide (ESM)/VPA, and CBZ/VPA were the most frequently proposed. In about 2/3 of assays, ASMs C(p) was in range, except for VPA, which was underdosed in almost half of the samples. Importantly, toxic levels of ASMs C(p) were found very rarely. For VPA, there was a decrease of mean C(p) across ages, from adolescents to older patients, while the C(p) of LEV, CBZ, OxCBZ, and Topiramate (TPM) showed a slight tendency to increase. When we compared females and males, we found that for VPA, the average age was higher for females, whereas women taking Lamotrigine (LTG) and OxCBZ were younger than men. Then, comparing ASMs used in neurologic and psychiatric disorders, based on the request form, it emerged that the mean C(p) of CBZ, OxCBZ, and LTG on samples collected in the Psychiatric Unit was lower compared to the Neurology and Child Neuropsychiatry Units. Finally, the ASMs subjected to multiple dosing starting from an initial subtherapeutic C(p) increased their level at different time points within a year, reaching the reference range for some of them. In conclusion, the present study suggests that TDM is widely applied to monitor ASMs C(p), finding many of them within the reference range, as a demonstration of its utility in clinical practice.

Time to baseline seizure count in patients with focal seizures receiving adjunctive eslicarbazepine acetate in a phase IV clinical trial

BACKGROUND

The efficacy and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL), a once-daily, orally-administered, anti-seizure medication (ASM), have primarily been established in treatment-resistant epilepsy patients, the population most often enrolled in clinical trials of anti-seizure medications. More recently, ESL was also shown to be effective and well-tolerated as first adjunctive therapy in non-treatment-resistant patients in an open-label, non-randomized, Phase IV, 24-week study of ESL using standard efficacy parameters in adults with focal seizures.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the time required to reach baseline seizure count, as an alternative method of assessing the efficacy of adjunctive ESL in patients with relatively low baseline monthly seizure frequencies. This additional analysis was undertaken, as subtle changes and improvements are difficult to analyze using standard efficacy parameters, such as standardized seizure frequency reduction when the baseline frequency of seizures is particularly low.

METHODS

This was a post-hoc analysis of the Phase IV study data, which investigated time to baseline seizure count in patients aged ≥ 18 years with focal seizures as an alternative measure of anti-seizure efficacy. In the Phase IV trial, patients had been enrolled into 2 groups: Arm 1: ESL as first adjunctive therapy to levetiracetam (LEV) or lamotrigine (LTG), the two most commonly-prescribed ASMs, in patients with inadequate response to treatment; Arm 2: ESL as a later adjunctive therapy, following prior use of 1-2 ASMs in patients who required an additional therapeutic option.

RESULTS

The time to reach individual baseline seizure count was longer in patients with focal seizures receiving ESL as a first (Arm 1) versus later (Arm 2) adjunctive therapy (p = 0.005). Patients who received ESL as a first adjunctive therapy had a longer time to ESL discontinuation than patients who received ESL as a later adjunctive therapy (p = 0.04). In Arm 1, patients receiving concomitant LTG reported treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) significantly earlier than those receiving LEV (p = 0.02). Compared to patients receiving concomitant LTG, a greater number of patients in Arm 1 who were taking concomitant LEV had a modal ESL dose > 1200 mg and completed the full maintenance period. A greater number of patients in Arm 1 who were receiving concomitant LEV and completed the 24-week maintenance period reached a maximum ESL dose of 1600 mg, compared to those taking LTG, who reached a maximum ESL dose of 1200 mg.

CONCLUSIONS

This analysis of the Phase IV clinical trial data provides an alternative way of assessing efficacy beyond standardized seizure frequency reduction, in the context of relatively low monthly median seizure frequencies at baseline (SSF 2.0-2.4). These results provide further support for the use of ESL as an earlier or later adjunctive therapy to LEV or LTG.

Trends in antiseizure medication prescription patterns among all adults, women, and older adults with epilepsy: A German longitudinal analysis from 2008 to 2020

INTRODUCTION

The prescription patterns of antiseizure medication (ASM) are subject to new scientific evidence and sociodemographic and practical aspects. This study analyzed trends in ASM prescription patterns among all adults with epilepsy, with special consideration for women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) and older adult (≥65 years old) patients.

METHODS

Data from four questionnaire-based cohort studies, conducted in 2008, 2013, 2016, and 2020, were analyzed for ASM prescription frequencies and common mono- and dual therapy regimens. Statistical comparisons were performed with the Chi-square test and one-way analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Overall, the individual prescription patterns among 1,642 adult patients with epilepsy were analyzed. A significant increase in the prescription frequency of third-generation ASMs, from 59.3% to 84.2% (p = 0.004), was accompanied by a decrease in the frequency of first- and second-generation ASMs (5.4% to 2.1% and 34.9% to 12.6%, respectively). This trend was accompanied by a significant decrease in the use of enzyme-inducing ASMs, from 23.9% to 4.6% (p = 0.004). Among frequently prescribed ASMs, prescriptions of carbamazepine (18.6% to 3.1%, p = 0.004) and valproate (15.4% to 8.7%, p = 0.004) decreased, whereas prescriptions of levetiracetam (18.0% up to 32.4%, p = 0.004) increased significantly. The prescription frequency of lamotrigine remained largely constant at approximately 20% (p = 0.859). Among WOCBP, the prescription frequencies of carbamazepine (11.4% to 2.0%, p = 0.004) and valproate (16.1% to 6.1%, p = 0.004) decreased significantly. Levetiracetam monotherapy prescriptions increased significantly (6.6% to 30.4%, p = 0.004) for WOCBP, whereas lamotrigine prescriptions remained consistent (37.7% to 44.9%, p = 0.911). Among older adult patients, a significant decrease in carbamazepine prescriptions (30.1% to 7.8%, p = 0.025) was the only relevant change in ASM regimens between 2008 and 2020. In patients with genetic generalized epilepsies, levetiracetam was frequently used as an off-label monotherapy (25.0% to 35.3%).

CONCLUSION

These results show a clear trend toward the use of newer and less interacting third-generation ASMs, with lamotrigine, levetiracetam, and lacosamide representing the current ASMs of choice, displacing valproate and carbamazepine over the last decade. In WOCBP, prescription patterns shifted to minimize teratogenic effects, whereas, among older adults, the decrease in carbamazepine use may reflect the avoidance of hyponatremia risks and attempts to reduce the interaction potential with other drugs and ASMs. Levetiracetam is frequently used off-label as a monotherapy in patients with genetic generalized epilepsy.

The role of Rho/ROCK in epileptic seizure-related neuronal damage

Epilepsy is one of the most severe neurological disorders characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures. Although more than two-thirds of patients can be cured with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), the rest one-third of epilepsy patients are resistant to AEDs. A series of studies have demonstrated Rho/Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) pathway might be involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsy in the recent twenty years. Several related pathway inhibitors of Rho/ROCK have been used in the treatment of epilepsy. We searched PubMed from Jan 1, 2000 to Dec 31, 2020, using the terms "epilepsy AND Rho AND ROCK" and "seizure AND Rho AND ROCK". We selected articles that characterized Rho/ROCK in animal models of epilepsy and patients. We then chose the most relevant research studies including in-vitro, in-vivo and clinical trials. The expression of Rho/ROCK could be a potential non-invasive biomarker to apply in treatment for patients with epilepsy. RhoA and ROCK show significant upregulation in the acute and chronic stage of epilepsy. ROCK inhibitors can reduce the epilepsy, epileptic seizure-related neuronal death and comorbidities. These findings demonstrate the novel development for diagnosis and treatment for patients with epilepsy. Rho/ROCK signaling pathway inhibitors may show more promising effects in epilepsy and related neurological diseases.

Treating of focal epilepsy: a patent review

Focal epilepsy is one of the most frequent specific type of epilepsies, with 30% treatment-resistant patients. There are several directions researchers can follow to improve existing treatment of focal epilepsy: synthesis of new compounds with anticonvulsant activity, repurposing drugs approved for other indications, finding drugs targeted to specific genetic and biochemical defects that underlie focal epilepsy syndromes, development of viral vectors for specific gene therapy, creation of devices and methods for suppression of seizures by electrostimulation and development of methods to increase safety of epilepsy surgery. Improvement of efficacy and safety of current therapies is necessary, as well as developing targeted treatment of genetic epilepsy syndromes that will not only suppress seizures, but stop further epileptogenesis.